This is a Banded Demoiselle - a very elegant name for a very elegant damselfly. I have long wanted to photograph one of these, an ambition that has been slightly thwarted because I had never even seen one before! However, last week, whilst on holiday in Dorset in the south of England, we went to photograph an old water mill and there were lots of these Demoiselles flying about in the reeds. Unfortunately they stay in the reeds, so I did not manage to get a clean background. Instead I have added some gaussian blur to produce the final image. I know that the background in the original image is too 'busy' to do well in a Nature competition, and that my editing means the final image would not be allowed in Nature, but never mind - I am happy that I now have a picture of one of these beautiful, elegant insects.
Technical Details: Canon EOS-R plus 100-400mm lens at 250mm focal length, fitted with a 15mm extension tube. 1/1600sec, F8.0, ISO 2000. Minor edits in Lightroom, then Gaussian blur added to the background in Photoshop and noise reduction in Topaz Labs.
This round’s discussion is now closed! 9 comments posted
Sophie Pouillon
Very nice sharpness on the lady.
The processing is interesting because it enhances the subject. For international competitions, I believe that blurring in nature is not allowed.
It's a difficult animal to capture because it's often in flight.
Be careful, too, with the green area between the insect's legs and the leaf underneath, as the edge is sliced off, I think it should be progressive.
In any case, the image thus presented is much better than the original. Perhaps a macro lens would have made the background more interesting, shooting at 2.8 mm. Posted: 07/09/2024 07:26:50
Gordon Watson
Thanks Sophie. You are correct that blurring is not allowed for competitions, so this one is just for me. Unfortunately I do not have a macro lens, but an extension tube is quite light, so it's easy to carry on the off chance of seeing a good subject. F8 was wide open with my lens at that focal length! Posted: 07/09/2024 11:51:38
Trey Foerster
Gordon, a nice macro image of the insect. I think your choice of blurring the background is well suited to the image. I'm baffled you couldn't enter it in a Nature competition since, if you shot it at or below 5.6, you'd have the same kind of effect. Oh well. That's why my competitions are art shows and fairs! Nice capture and processing! Posted: 07/21/2024 16:31:43
Gordon Watson
Thanks Trey. FIAP/PSA rules for nature say "Adding a vignette or blurring the background during processing is not allowed." So that excludes this version of the image - I could of course try a less processed version, or even try this in an open competition. Posted: 07/22/2024 07:47:54
Ian Cambourne
Congratulations on a superb image Gordon. The sharpness is first rate, as seen by the hairs on her legs. Yes, nature comps and their judges are very picky indeed. The way you've presented your final image is superb, albeit that issue with the background colours as Sophie has pointed out. As an image "for your own enjoyment" this is right up there. Very well done. Posted: 07/22/2024 07:11:40
Gordon Watson
Thanks Ian. I night have another look at the area behind the legs - it was a bit hard to soften the background without loosing the leg detail. Posted: 07/22/2024 07:49:49
Jay Joseph
Great image Gordon. I know extension tubes can be difficult to work with getting enough light and sharp focus. You did a great job capturing this damselfly. Posted: 07/26/2024 14:41:37
Gordon Watson
Thanks Jay. Some day I might get a macro lens, but for now I have to get along with the extension tubes. Posted: 07/28/2024 15:55:59
Henriette Brasseur
Blurring the background, removing all the leaves except foreground leaf, removing distractions were a good move because the background is just as important as the foreground and you get an A+. Lastly, brightening up the Banded Demoiselle and enhancing the color of the insect brings the viewer's eye directly to the insect without distraction of other elements. Well done, Gordon. Posted: 07/31/2024 23:40:41
